Gutsy Animations appointed WildBrain to develop a global YouTube strategy for Moominvalley, the brand-new animated adaptation of writer-illustrator Tove Jansson’s classic stories about the Moomins.
The first new Moomins series in almost 30 years, Moominvalley brings Jansson’s characters to life in 3-D CGI animation in 13 episodes for a new generation of kids and families.
In addition, WildBrain will manage the library of past Moomin content on YouTube, including the previous series from the 1990s, behind-the-scenes material, and other content created exclusively for YouTube by Moomin.com.
To celebrate Tove Jansson’s 105th birthday on August 9, fans can access exclusive new Moominvalley content now live on the WildBrain network.
“The Moomins are a wonderful family brand with a rich history and the team at Gutsy Animations have done an outstanding job with Moominvalley to refresh the franchise while remaining faithful to Tove Jansson’s vision,” said Jon Gisby, managing director, WildBrain. “We are delighted that the Moomins have joined the WildBrain network and look forward to helping them find and delight a new generation of fans.”
“We are really excited to be working with WildBrain to build the Moomin brand on a truly global scale,” Marika Makaroff, executive producer and creative director of Gutsy Animations, added. “Our dedicated following of fans are keen to know more about the creative process behind our new adaptation of Tove’s beautiful and deeply meaningful stories, and to also re-live memories of the past series.”
Moominvalley (13 x 22 mins) follows Moomintroll, who goes on fantastical adventures with his group of friends and family. As viewers follow the story of Moomintroll’s growth and encounters with his family and other creatures, they may learn more about their own humanity, relationships and emotions.
Moominvalley is produced by Gutsy Animations working with an outstandingly talented team, including creative director and executive producer Marika Makaroff; Oscar®-winning director Steve Box; BAFTA®-winning producer John Woolley; and Emmy®-winning writing duo Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler. Voice talents include, Taron Egerton, Rosamund Pike, Matt Lucas, Jennifer Saunders, Kate Winslet and Matt Berry.
Jansson, a Finnish-Swedish artist and writer, achieved worldwide fame as the creator of the Moomin stories, written and illustrated between 1944 and 1971. Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2020, Moomin is now one of the top-20 most licensed brands in the world.